Latch-opener attachment for knitting-machines.



' Patented July I8, |899. MILLER.

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LATCH DPENER ATTACHMENT FOB KNITATING MACHINES.

{Applicatiun :um me. s, 189s.; (In Modal.)

[IUIIU U /llilh i UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE.

'WILLIAM J. ELLIOTT kANI) IRvINe M. MILLER., 4OE vALAT'IE, NEW Yoan.

LATCH-OPENER ATTACHMENT Foa KNlTTINc-MACHINES.

SPECFICATION forming partof 'Letters Patent No. 629,155, dated July 18,'1899.

Application filed December 5, 1.8.98. Serial No. 698,278. (No model.) Y

To' all whom it -may concern:

Be it knownthat we, WILLIAM J. ELLIOTT and IRVING M. MILLER, citizens ofthe United States, vresiding at Valatie, in the county of Columbia andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inLatch-Opener Attachments for .Knitting- Machines; and we do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and' exact description of theinvention, such as will enable othersV eration and which may have becomeclosed during the operation of hooking on the web or cud. In the use ofcircular dial-machines this operation requires considerable time andcare, for the reason that the operative must' turn the machine a littleatv a time lto throw back the latches with the lingers. inasmuch as thedial is stationary and some of the needles will be on the opposite sideof the frame from the operative it isv necessary to either pass aroundthe machine or to reach first on one side of the shaft and then on theother.

The object of this invention is the production of an attachment having alatch-opening linger normally out of the path of movement of thelatches, but capable of being quickly placed in position, so that asingle rotation of said attachment will open all of the latches whichmay be closed.

To this end the invention consists in the construction and combinationof parts, as hereinafter described.

. In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of so much of acircular dial knitting-machine as is necessary to .illustrate theinvention. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the same. l Fig. 3represents-a vertical section of the attachment on the line 3 8 of Fig.1 on a somewhat enlarged scale.

Similar reference characters indicate the same parts throughout theseveral views.

l opening at The dial bed or plate a is provided with the usual groovesfor the needles b and is heldin stationary. position while the needlesthereof cooperate with the usual vertical needles (not shown) andrelatively mounted and arranged, as shown in Patent No. 239,169 to W. D.H use March 22, 1881. here, however, that this invention is not limitedto the knitting-machine shown in said It is to be remarked aten't itbeinor ca able of use in connection withany knitting-machine employinghorizontally-movable latch-needles. The shaft c is provided with the topplate d, to which the needle-operatin g cams are or may be attached in amanner such as shown in the above-mentioned patent.

W'ith the form of machine mentioned and so far described the attachmentforming the subject-matter of this invention is shown as carried by thetop plate d. Said attachment comprises' a bar or plate 1, havingelongated slots 2, through which the screws 3 pass to .secure the saidbar to the top plate.

The outer end of saidl bar is provided with-a circular opening and issplit, as indicated at 4, a screw 5 working in the two sides oi'v thebar on opposite sides of the split to enable the the end of the bar tobe contracted or clampednpon the barrel of the attachment, which willnow be described.

A cylindrical barrel 6 is provided with a reduced lower end 7 to formashoulder adapted to rest upon the surface ofthe bar l around theopening thereof.

Eil-,ced to slide vertically within the barrel 6" is a rod 8, having itslower end turned laterally, as indicated at 9, to form the latch-Opening finger, adapted to operate as hereinafter described. The lowerend of the barrel is provided with a vertical groove 10 to receive a pin11, projecting from the rod 8,

wherebythe latter is prevented fromj turning on its axis. The verticalopening in the barrel is slightly enlarged above its lower end to form ashoulder l2, on which rests a spring 13. -The upper end of the rod S isscrewthreaded, as at le, to receive then sleeve 1 5, provided with amilled rim 16, and between the lower end of which and the shoulder 12the spring 13 isconiined. It will thus be understood that the spring 13has a normal tendency to lift the rod 8 of the latch-opening finger IOOas far as the lower end of the barrel will permit, owing to the contacttherewith of the lateral projection or iinger 9. The rod S is of alength su Iiieient to extend somewhat above the upper end of the sleeve15 and receives a set-nut 17.

Secured to the side ot' the barrel 6 is a spring 18, having a shoulderor lug 19, adapted to take over the edge of the milled rim 16 andprovided with a linger-piece 20, by means of which the spring can bemoved outward suficien-tly to release the lug 19 from the milled rim 16.

When it is desired that the opener shall be moved to operative position,so that the sharp end of the ringer 9 will be in a plane to cause anyclosed latches to ride thereover, the operative simply needs to pressdown upon the upper end of the rod S or the set-n ut 17 thereon untiltheedge of the rim 1G is engaged by the spring-catch 1S 19. To permitthe inger to rise again to its normal position, the operative by meansof the finger-piece 20 releases the spring-catch, and the spring 13 thenimmediately throws the rod S and its finger 9 upward to the positionindicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The distance of the latch-opening finger 9 lfrom the lower end ot' thebarrel, and consequently its position relatively to the latchneedleswhen the opener is in operative position, may be adjusted by turning thesleeve 15 upon the screw-threaded portion 14 of the rod S, thus changingthe position of the milled rim 16 relatively to the latch-openingfinger.`

The shoulder or lug 19 of thel spring 1S is always in one positionrelatively to the barrel 6 and the top plate d of the machine, andconsequently the vertical position of the rim 16 relatively to thefinger 9 controls the position of the said finger 9 relatively to thelatchneedles when the said milled rim is engaged by the spring-catch.The attachment therefore may be accurately adjusted in this respect, aswill be readily understood.

The adjustment of the finger 9 in the direction in which it is desiredto have it eX- tend, so as to engage under the latches of the needlesmore or less distant from the hooks thereof, is obtained by rotating thebarrel within the opening of the bar or plate 1 and clamping it in itsposition by means of the screw 5. The elongated slots 2 in the bar orplate 1 permit of aradial adjustment, which is also of use in adaptingthe attachment to different styles and sizes of knitting-machines.Having thus described our invention and illustrated one mechanism forcarrying it'into effect, what we claim is 1. A knitting-machinecomprising in its construction a series of latch-needles, a latchopenertherefor 'and a spring for normally retaining said opener out of thepath of movement of the latches.

2. A knitting-machine comprising in its construction a series oflatch-needles, a latchopener therefor, a spring for normally retainingsaid opener out of the path of movement of the latches, and means foradjusting the plane of the operative path of movement of said opener.

3. A knitting-machine comprising in its construction a series ofhorizontally-movable dial-needles provided with latches, of alatchopener therefor and a spring for normally retaining said openerabove the plane of the path of movement of said latches.

et. A knitting-machine comprising in its f construction a series oflatch-needles, a latchopener movable into and out of position forllengaging the latches of said needles, a spring for throwing said openerto one position, and a catch for retaining it in the other position.

5. .A knitting-machine attachment comprising a latch-opener, a guidetherefor having means for attaching it to a knitting-machine,A a springfor holding the latch-opener in one position relatively to its guide,and a catch for holding said openerin the other position.

6. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a dial bed or plate andits needles, of the bar or plate l and a suitable support therefor, thebarrel 6 mounted on the end of said bar, the rod S vertically movable insaid barrel and provided with a latch-opening finger 9 at its lower end,and means within the control of the operative for adjusting the verticalposition of the rod and its latch-opening finger. j

7. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a dial bed or plate andits needles, of the bar or plate 1 and a suitable support therefor, thebarrel 6 mounted on the end of said bar, the rod 8 vertically movable insaid barrel and provided with a latch-opening linger 9 at its lower end,the sleeve 15 adjustably secured to the rod 8, the spring 13 bearingagainst the lower end of the sleeve, and a spring-catch adapted toengage the said sleeve to hold it and the rod 8 and its latch-opener indepressed position.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM J. ELLIOTT. IRVING M. MILLER.

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